Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives Looking to buy 1997-2003 SUV need help

So the wife totaled our ford escape yesterday, ice and hillside are hard on a car. I'm thinking of replacing it with a Toyota land cruiser or 4runner, unless you guy have a better idea. I have not owned a 4runner and the last cruiser I had was a 1965 FJ. What do I need to know, good bad and ugly.

The quick and dirty of what I learned while shopping for a used LC or 4Runner is as follows:

FJ60/62s are cool as hell, but suffer badly from rust. A clean and rust free copy will have a unicorn tied to it, or a $20K price tag, your choice.

FJ80s have 250K+ miles before the original owners finally part with them. They're heavy, get poor mileage, and parts cost more than 4runners, but they're tough rigs and most of their mileage has been on the pavement.

4Runners have 150K+ miles on the clock before the price drops enough to consider..........unless being sold with a bad title or a sketchy seller who's lineage traces back to the Soviet Union. Seriously.

I finally realized just how much time I'd wasted hounding Craigslist, and bought a 2014 4Runner last spring. Toyota has 0% interest on their 2014 rigs right now. Something to consider.

222Rem, thanks for the info- I'm beginning to have second thoughts on the FJ80, just spent an hour on the phone with a fellow that has one. Think I got all if not most of there dirty little secrets. Side note looks like we are on the same side of the state.

Good luck with your search.............especially on this side of the state. Boise, Tri-Cities or Bend are about as far as I expanded my searches.

I am not sure if it would be big enough for you, but have you considered a Subaru Forester? I doubt its as capable off road as a 4Runner, but for driving winter roads and farm tracks ect, they are excellent...

I've had a 2003 4runner with v8 since around March of 2003. It has 160,000 or so miles and it has had oil changes and tire changes, nothing else. It is the v8 with full time 4 wd. I'm not considering selling it, but if you found a clean one used, I'd recommend it a lot. It has probably been my most solid rig.

I had a 1998 4 runner with 5 spd. Sold it at around 150,000 and still regret it. I'd find a one owner 4runner if I was looking for used, anything at or under 150,000 miles should have a ton of life left.

I'd have flown to Denver to buy it from you. 5spds are tough to find.

V6 4Runner...tuff as nails.......

I prefer the manual 5 speed.....

You're a pretty tall guy, right? How well do you fit in it? What kind of mileage do you get?

I'm 6'7", I drove both those rigs for a while actually. I didn't notice any issues fitting in them. The 98 with 5 spd would get 23 on the highway at around 75. Working off memory there, but was always surprised how well it did. The full time 4wd 2003 will do 14-15 no matter how you drive or where. Admittedly that is pretty bad, but with that many mile and no repairs, I'm not selling it.

If a guy really worked and was patient, a good one owner 1998 model would be really hard to beat in my opinion. Sure the 97-99 range would be fine actually. I think the 2004/05 V6 models have had a great track record as well. Same body as the 03 and better mileage. Good luck in your search.

It was a really easy rig to sell out here. One trail running suv and all stock.

I'd look for a 3rd gen 4x4 4runner, with the 2.7ltr engine and a 5 spd.

Might as well add one owner, private party, sub-100K to the "dream." The 4cyl 5spd option was very limited and only offered to 3rd degree Masons, Leprechauns, and thoroughbred unicorn breeders. I agree, it'd be a great find but........

Why are they so difficult to get hold of? Over here, the same model I called the Surf and was only imported in very limited numbers by specialist importers..

Given how the reputation Toyotas 4x4's have in the States, you'd think they crank up production to meet the demand?

I've no idea, but the V6 Auto far outnumbers the 5spd in either V6 or especially the I4. While I'm whining, I'm also frustrated the US can't get (or won't import) the Diesel Toyotas. The whole rest of the world gets 'em, but not us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKekXzEMwxc

Pete, It may have to do with the US target market being ex station wagon owners.

Over here, its difficult these days to get a work horse SUV that's still got real off-road capability. I am thinking of vehicles along the lines of the Isuzu Trooper or the Jeep Cherokee..

For many years now, the SUV has started to get more and more luxury and been made more and more road biased.

What was the niche of the work horse SUV has now more or less been taken over by crew cab pick-ups usually with a canopy/topper on the back. Out of all the various ones imported, I would say the HiLux I still the leader and the brand other manufactures try to beat..

Same here with the Toyota Tacomas, and the FJ's. I know two guys that really looked hard for a used Tacoma only to decide that a new one was a better deal. One of those guys bought a really old one with a lift kit, over sized tries and wheels only to discover it had lots problems due to the modifications.
Subarus are very popular here as well. But only with folks who stay on the highways and need reliable traction on ice and snow. Off road them much on our off road trails and they fall apart. E

Yeah, the "crossover" vehicle is replacing the SUV. I'm not exactly sure what is being crossed over from and to, but it appears the results are an AWD compact station wagon.

Our new 4runner is extremely comfortable while still having a real frame and drive train. I really can't see the appeal of the new crossovers, but I'm too narrow-minded for a career in marketing.

Laffin'! For sure not easy to come by, but they're out there, just gotta root for them. Becomes a lot easier if you drop back a few years to a second gen.

Just looked at the local CL. Exactly one. Kinda rough...

http://bellingham.craigslist.org/cto/4750566033.html

Yep, and a rebuilt title, which in my experience means the owner usually has a Russian accent.

I finally gave up and bought a new one. Now I can focus my CL search for a clean Jeep CJ.

Love the new ones. Getting the wife one once I get kid #1 through college. Lot easier to find a clean used Jeep.

That's impressive considering my wifes 99 suburban gets 20 mpg with a vortec 350 and it seats 9. . I just changed the original cap and rotor a couple days ago too.... To the OP, I'd be looking pretty hard at a newer Honda pilot AWD. Very dependable and much better fuel mileage than a V8 anything Toyota. Just sayin.

Thanks for all the info guys. I got her into a 4runner for a quick drive, bottom line she hated it so its back to the drawing board. bsa1917hunter-funny you should mention the pilot, that's one we have been kicking around along with the Nissan Pathfinder. Of the two I think the pathfinder might be the better 4x unless you guys know something I don't.

Crossovers are part minivan and part suv. Built so the trendy can have some of the minivan space and mpg, with owning a minivan, plus much needed four wheel drive for when it snows in the suburbs. You loose a lot of the minivans room and some mpg, also lose the suvs off road ability.

20 mpg average mileage for anything able to haul a whole soccer team is impressive. Congrats.

why does she hate it?

Check out the Xterras. Those that own them seem to like them.

The 4runner was a 2001 nice looking had most of the things I wanted. However she did not like the way it drove said it felt under powered and rode rough like an old truck. She also felt it was too narrow, thought 3 teens in the back seat would be uncomfortable. I looked at the xterras but thought they were too small for our needs.

If she didn't like the '01, I'd look for a 2003+ 4R with the 4.0 V6. Timing chain and LOTS more power than the 3.4s. 2005s will have a 5spd auto.

Well the hunt is officially over just picked up a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder with more bells and whistles that I care for. However it makes the little woman happy, and as we all know is money in the bank. thanks for all the info

Good choice with the Pathfinder. Had a 1998. Put 100,000 miles on it with no problems. Put it places most people wouldn't or couldn't go. New tires twice and brakes once. Got stupid one day and traded it for a Ford Ranger. What a piece of junk. Didn't keep it long and traded it for a Nissan Versa.

I was looking at each of those this past fall.. was considering a V 8 4Runner...I ended up buying a Honda Pilot... and crawling around underneath it doing some routine maintanance that hasn't probably been done in a while.. I am impressed with how well it is built...

mileage has so far been decent...plenty of power under the hood..

downside, no 4 wheel low lock...but since it is going to be mainly a highway rig, I wasn't too concerned over that...

I'd buy another in a heart beat...

I looked at the Pilots as well, being a Honda I felt the were well built. Decided against it only because I wanted a more substantial 4X system. Southern Oregon gets its snow, but I think the opposite corner of the state gets more and the kids have season ski passes. So up the mountain I go...